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State Rep., and former N.H. House Speaker Bill O'Brien continues to eye a possible run for Congress in 2014, he tells WMUR's Josh McElveen.

The Mont Vernon Republican would run in the 2nd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster just won her first term in November.

On a taping of WMUR's CloseUP Friday morning, O'Brien said he's already done some sample polling to see how he might do in a potential matchup.

"She's someone we should look at in terms of whether we can replace her with a fiscally responsible member. So we went out with a poll and looked at what her favorabilities were, what her unfavorabables looked like, and what a matchup would look like."

O'Brien noted that the internal poll showed him that Kuster could be vulnerable in a re-election bid. But he also pointed out that because of her strong fundraising efforts in the past, any challenger will have to decide quickly.

"We know whoever is going to oppose her is going to have to get out there early, talk to contributors early and put together a long conversation with voters. So if we are going to do something, it's going to be sooner rather than later," said O'Brien.

Ray Buckley, chairman of the N.H. Democratic party, responded by saying, "I doubt very much the Republicans would nominate someone as extreme as Bill O'Brien in the 2nd Congressional District."

"Bill O'Brien's Tea Party agenda is wildly out of touch with the values of middle-class N.H. families," Buckley said. "O'Brien's failed speakership resulted in a $40 million budget deficit and a laundry list of reckless policies."

You can watch O'Brien's full interview on Sunday at 10 a.m. on CloseUP on WMUR.

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